Winter Wonderland (EdmundxReader) (One-Shot)
by NarnianNeverlander
Summary: He'd never liked winter. The White Witch had made him hate it. But maybe she can show him that winter isn't all bad.


Winter Wonderland  
[Edmund PevensiexF!Reader] [One-Shot]

 **A/N:** This takes place in our world

The (h/c) haired girl inhaled the crisp, cool air; a smile creeping onto her features. Winter was beautiful. The entire world was covered in a fluffy, white blanket, the ice on the windows and the trees sparkled like diamonds, and every new snowfall brought thousands of snowflakes with it, each unique; yet the same in a certain way. She could (and had) spend hours outside in the snow; making snow angels, snow men, being the one to start an all out snowball war or climbing one of the highest branches of a tree, gazing at the stars at night and watching her breath curl in clouds before her. Sure, rituals like that had ended with her getting a nasty cold and having to spend at least a week in bed often enough already, but she couldn't care less. Winter was beautiful, no one could tell her otherwise. She couldn't understand people who locked themselves in their rooms, trying to shut this beautiful season out completely.

Unfortunately, her immediate surroundings included exactly such a person. That person being her boyfriend of all things. It wasn't like she didn't know why he resented this particular season so much. She'd been there when he'd fallen under the spell of the White Witch. She'd been there, on the battlefield, when he'd been stabbed and had nearly died.

Though she'd been with him and his siblings through all of it, her love for winter and it's beauty had never wavered. Him? Well, he'd disliked the cold season before, but after that... he grew to absolutely despise it. In the years that had followed, she'd let him be. After all, there had been more important matters to attend to; like learning how to rule a country and being proper kings and queens. While she herself hadn't sat on one of the thrones in Cair Paravel, she'd done everything to help her friends cope with the new situation, while learning how to be a good commander with Oreius' help. Not to mention that, following years of courting, she'd had to organize a wedding. Although in all honesty she'd left most of the party planning to his older sister; seeing as both she and her Just King would've preferred something small and simple, but small and simple just wasn't a possibility when you married a king. While they'd been more than happy together, it had been pretty awkward for the both of them when - after years of being an adult, married couple - they'd been turned back into children. They'd agreed to wait until they turned a somehow appropriate age (again) and just stay friends until then. However, after she'd almost gotten killed during the raid on Miraz's castle when they were both 16, they decided they'd waited long enough. They'd had fights like any other couple, nonetheless they'd stuck together through everything: the war in this world, the adventures on the Dawn Treader and having to leave Narnia for good. It had been six years since they'd met at Professor's house, now they were both nineteen, attending the same university; him studying law, her studying literature.

During all this time, she'd never said a thing about his hatred for winter, hoping he'd get over it. But he hadn't. Even now, while she was taking a walk in the park close to the dorms, he was cooped up in his room; a thick blanket over his shoulders and a cup of hot tea on his desk. She hadn't bothered to invite him when she left, she'd already known his answer. She'd gotten the same answer way too many times by now and she was tired of hearing it. In fact, she was tired of his attitude in general. All of this had happened long ago and it was time he at least tried to get over it. And she'd give him the shove he needed. Still, she'd be lying if she said she only did this for him. She loved winter and didn't mind being alone if it meant she could enjoy it, but there were times when she missed him by her side; she felt a special pang in her heart when happy couples passed her, arm in arm and laughing.

With her mind set to the task, she returned to the dorms and with a big intake of breath she opened the door.

"Hey, Ed." she greeted with a smile.

He turned to her with a surprised look on his face.

"Back already? That's unusual. Normally, you're gone for hours...?"

"Yeah, well... I thought I'd try something different today..."

"And what's that?"

"Well, I forgot to ask and I felt bad about it so I came back 'cause... I was wondering  
if you'd like to accompany me today?"

"Sorry, I can't, I'm busy."

"No, you're not. You've already finished all of your studies yesterday, I know as much."

He heaved a sigh.

"(y/n), do we really have to go through this again?"

She decided to feign ignorance for.

"What do you mean?"

"You know damn well what I mean. You know why I don't want to go out."

"Well, yes; of course, but -"

"Then why do you keep asking?"

He'd stood up by now and was sending her a glare. She knew that he didn't like approaching this topic, but he'd never gotten angry about it before.

"Why can't you just leave it alone? You always invite me, I always decline. I know you're stubborn, but I actually thought that it would've gotten through that thick skull of yours by now, that that's never going to change! Why can't you just accept that I hate this season and everything related to it?! I'm never going to understand all of the  
idiots that actually enjoy it and I -"

He only noticed now that (y/n) had her head hung low, her (h/c) bangs shielding her beautiful (e/c) eyes from his view.

"I-I just thought that... You know what, never mind, it was a silly idea."

Her voice was small, strained and it was painfully obvious that she was holding back tears. In one swift move, she'd turned around and was out the door, leaving him alone in his room.

Edmund let himself fall backwards onto his bed, buried his face in his hands and groaned. God damnit, he hadn't meant to make her cry. He'd spent all night studying and was tired and absolutely not in the mood for this particular conversation to take place all over again, but that was no reason to snap at her like that. Knowing her, she'd only been trying to help. And he had nothing better to do then to call her a stubborn idiot for it  
and insult one of the things she loved most while he was at it.

 _"It's a miracle she hasn't broken up with you yet."_ his mind accused.

"Oh shut up, you're not helping..." he mumbled irritatedly - mostly because he knew it was right - and sat up.

Something lying on his dresser caught his eye, something that definitely hadn't been there before. He stood and walked over the the wooden piece of furniture and upon closer inspection, the object turned out to be a cap. It was cotton, warm, dark blue, fluffy - and had been a gift from (y/n). However, seeing as he never went out, he never used it, so she'd taken up a habit of doing so herself. She must've left it in the room when she ran turned the soft material over in his hands. It was pretty nice and he'd actually really appreciated it. Whenever he had to go out during winter, he always complained about his ears getting cold very easily. This gift meant that she was actually listening to his useless rambling. And he thanked her by never using it and basically throwing it right back into her face. He face palmed at his own actions. By the lion, it truly was a miracle she hadn't broken up with him and gotten herself someone she deserved.

With a heavy sigh he grabbed any and all warm articles of clothing he could find in his room, pulling the cap over his ears as far as it would go and reached for the doorknob. He was going to regret this. But if it made her happy, then maybe... Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

He didn't have to search long. He knew she loved the park close to their dorms. He himself had taken quite the liking to it - in summer and spring, naturally. He found her sitting on the steps that led down to a plaza with a fountain that was shut down during the cold months. As he approached, he could see her wiping her sleeve over her eyes and immediately wanted to kick himself for it. In a flash, he'd sat down behind her and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist.

"I'm sorry." he whispered while burying his face in the crook of her neck.

She stiffened for a moment, surprised by the sudden, yet welcomed contact. She sniffed.

"It's ok."

"No, it's not. I lashed out at you without any reason while you were only trying to help, weren't you?"

She laughed weakly.

"Yeah, I was. I just thought that... Well, I know you hate winter and I completely understand why, but you can't keep living like that. And seeing as you wouldn't get your cute ass out of the door yourself, I thought I could help. On top of that... I really love winter. It's something that's actually nothing special, but it really brings me joy, so I want to share it with you. I want it to be something that makes you happy, as well."

Silence followed. After a while, (y/n) had to ask herself if Edmund had fallen asleep.

"Ed? Hey, you still with me?"

"Yeah, I'm just wondering why in the name of Narnia you're still with me."

"Huh?"

"You're the most amazing person I ever met. You're courageous, kind, caring -"

"Also stubborn, hot headed, childish and a total pervert. I know where you're going with this and I don't plan on letting you finish, because you're being ridiculous. You think I could do better than you, right?"

She leaned away and turned her upper body slightly and tried to look at him, Edmund however, avoided her gaze.

"Well yeah, I mean... You do all of these kind things for me and I never show any gratitude. I-"

"Oh would you just shut up? You're being an idiot, a handsome one, but still an idiot. You remember the time I got sick?"

He snorted.

"Which one?"

"Oh shush. You always take care of me, no matter how often I manage to get sick. You always help me with the homework I don't understand. When I fall asleep on your bed and take up all the space, you willingly sleep on the couch. When another guy tries to flirt with me you always wrap an arm around my waist, but you still let me defend myself because you know I can. You might think I don't notice any of this, but I do. I notice all of it."

She gently placed a hand on his cheek, making him look at her.

"You think I could do better than you? Well, I think you're the best thing that ever happened to me."

He smiled brightly at her, his brown eyes starting to sparkle. In return, she gave him a content smile of her own.

"Go to hell."

Her smile dropped.

"C-Come again?!"

"That's the first thing you said to me when we first met, remember?"

"Because you almost pushed me down the goddamn stairs and then wanted me to apologize for it!"

"I know that. I just find the comparison between then and now quite amusing, don't you?"  
he asked with a smirk.

"Oh for all it's worth, if there's one thing you really know how to do, it's how to ruin the mood!" she said with a huff, stood up and ascended down the stairs.

Edmund followed suit and linked his arm with hers. Now it was her turn to smirk.

"Coming with me on a walk through the Winter Wonderland after all, huh?"

He didn't answer, he only eliminated any remaining space between them. She looked him up and down and determined that he looked genuinely happy. She smiled at that. That was what she'd wanted. And only now did she notice the dark blue article of clothing on his head.

"Hey! You're wearing the cap I gave you!"

"Well of course, I got it from you and I haven't used it as much as I should. On top of that, my ears probably would have fallen off by now if I wasn't wearing it."

"You know, I actually gave you that thing so you wouldn't complain about your ears anymore."

"I was whiny when you met me, I'm whiny now and it's probably never gonna change so you better get used to it."

"Yeah, yeah I know that, I just - jeez, why are you so cuddle needy all of a sudden? I know you secretly love it, so normally you go about this a bit more subtle, but you're basically clinging onto my arm right now."

"Well, duh, you're the only thing around here that's spending some kind of warmth."

(y/n) laughed.

"Man, you sure have a long way to go. But at least you finally got over yourself - with a little bit of help."

Edmund only hummed in response and snuggled even closer to her. A sly smirk spread across her lips.

"You know, there is a way to get warm."

"Go back inside?"

She stopped walking, stepped in front of him, grabbed his hands in hers, got onto her tiptoes and started to nuzzle his neck.

She mumbled a barely audible 'not quite' before gently nibbling on his earlobe. She pulled back to see that Edmund's face was completely red; and not from the cold. She laughed and returned to her previous position by his side and started to walk again.

"And if there's one thing I really know how to do, it's how to get you flustered!"

"Freaking pervert..." he mumbled under his breath

"And a proud one at that!"

He chuckled and watched his breath curl in white clouds in front of him before turning his gaze to the girl beside him, who was practically beaming with happiness. He smiled and intertwined their fingers. Yes. With her by his side, winter might not be so bad.


End file.
